The Event Cinema Association’s annual ECA Conference will take place on October 19 in London. The only event of its kind in the world, this annual conference is a highlight in the calendar for anyone involved in the event cinema industry. The conference is being held at the newly launched Picturehouse Central cinema complex in the Trocadero site in London’s West End.
Melissa Cogavin, managing director, Event Cinema Association said, “Every year we try to do something different with the ECA Conference and we are very excited to be working with Picturehouse Central on this year’s event at their stunning new venue. Our new partnership with such supportive sponsors in the food and beverage markets is also very exciting and we welcome the inclusion of companies such as Nestlé, Cadburys and Scavi & Ray – it’s great to see them embracing the changing landcape of cinema in this way.”
Creative Skillset has generously funded the event in part, by investing in training to develop people and businesses. Film partnership manager Rebecca Davies said, “The Event Cinema market is expanding very quickly. The net result is a skills shortage in a growth area, and the ECA's conference is the ideal platform to share expertise to ensure the highest standards of commercial presentation and reach.”
Gabriel Swartland, head of marketing and PR at Picturehouse Cinemas said, “Our flagship cinema has just opened and we are delighted to be hosting the ECA Conference as one of our first corporate events there. Event Cinema is a core element of our business and Picturehouse are market leaders in this area, so this is a great partnership and it promises to be a very successful day.”
The ECA Conference is the only convention in the world that caters exclusively for the event cinema industry. Last year’s conference featured 250 delegates from 20 territories worldwide and the ECA expects that number this year to be higher given its recent surge in membership.
Delegates will be treated to panels, breakout sessions, a trade show for the first time and the annual ECA Awards ceremony, celebrating the achievements of the previous year.
In such a fast changing landscape the challenge each year is to make the content of the show relevant to all delegates. The two panel discussions will cover the constantly evolving world of content delivery, followed by a panel discussion on the uneasy relationship between cinemas and video on demand entitled, Keeping Ahead of the Game in a VOD World.
There is also a reprise of the very popular breakout session’s model, taking place throughout the day featuring six topics of discussion. These will include for the first time the hot topic of gaming tournaments in cinemas and will be hosted by Corinne Thibaut and Alban Dechelotte of Coca Cola International. Other sessions include Social Media Marketing hosted by Adam Rubins and Daniel Heale of Way To Blue.
In an industry first, the ECA is opening up the convention to include a trade show for consumer goods companies keen to exploit the opportunities that the event cinema audience is offering. Among the exhibitors will be Cadbury’s high-end brand Mondelez, Nestlé and Scavi & Ray prosecco.
The ECA Conference is a key date in the calendar for many technical companies who see the golden opportunity in so many influencers in one place at once, and generous sponsors include the European specialist in digital technologies for the cinema industry Ymagis Group. Manel Carreras, senior vice president marketing & content services business development said, “Our association with the ECA goes back some years now, we have always enjoyed a strong partnership, and we are pleased to once again be lending our support for this year’s annual conference. Ymagis Group’s commitment to Event Cinema is well known, and we believe it is instrumental to sustaining the development of the cinema going experience in the future.”
Tickets will be on sale in September on the ECA website. Tickets cost £125 for members and £150 for non-members. The Event Cinema Association http://www.eventcinemaassociation.org/